Court records allege that McCoy accepted 11 checks and cash totaling about $124,000 between June 2004 and this July, as well as gifts and travel of "undetermined value" intended to influence or reward the city's smart meter parking program.

McCoy persuaded the city in March 2010 to increase Cale's contract from about $4.4 million to more than $20 million, without competitive bids.

The federal charge follows years of complaints from city staff and competing contractors to McCoy's supervisors and then-transportation commissioner Sam Adams, which led to incomplete investigations and a backlash against staff who made the complaints. The joint inquiry, by the FBI and the Internal Revenue Service, included a review of the city's internal investigations into whistle-blower complaints.

McCoy is accused of accepting 11 checks totaling $37,134 payable to his consulting company, EKM Consulting, between June 2004 and November 2006, the federal charge says.

From August 2006 through September 2008 -- when a city internal inquiry got started -- McCoy is accused of accepting $87,000 in cash. From June 2004 through July 2011, McCoy is accused of accepting gifts and travel "of undetermined value," the federal charge says. Adams said that the FBI on Sept. 1 showed him copies of checks from Cale Parking Systems and Levey to McCoy and McCoy's consulting company.

Because of his cooperation, he wasn't immediately arrested, and the case did not go to a grand jury.

Today, McCoy waived his right to a grand jury.

A trial date was set for Feb. 14.

If convicted, accepting bribes could bring a penalty of up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Seth Uram told the court he had no objection to McCoy's continued release, after his booking at the US Marshal's office this afternoon.